How?

1. Use a weekly schedule form to fill in all of your standard weekly obligations including: sleep, cooking and eating, taking care of family and laundry, classes, work, driving to and from school and work, etc. Don't leave them out because you will end up doing them anyway. Leaving these things out gives you a false sense of security about how much time you actually have to study. Outline the boxes you allocate for study time. They should equal between 2 and 4 times the number of hours you spend in class each week. If you don't have that amount of time available for studying, either drop a course (remember the rule of 3 before you do that) or get rid of an obligation (this works better for reducing your work-out time at the gym than for getting rid of your kids). When you think it's complete, make some copies. You can adjust for things like holidays later.

2. Also get a blank monthly calendar for each month covered by the semester (example: Fall semester covers August through December). You can get templates easily by using the "File" drop-down menu in Word. Choose "New", then in the "Templates" box in the new window that opens, type in ''calendar'. Click "Go" and choose the calendar you want from the list. It will preview itself. After that, click "Download" in the preview window and it will load onto your computer. Print out the months you need.

3. Gather all of the syllabi for the courses you are taking each semester. Mark each exam, paper or project due date on the calendar pages. Working backwards, note days when you need to complete each milestone on the project or each chapter or other unit for the exams.

4. Date the weekly schedule forms with the dates for each week during the semester. Use the completed calendar pages to allocate your available time for that week for each course exam or project as needed. Include time needed for reading, answering study questions, homework, active study time (see Active Learning), preparing for lecture and labs. Write it all down in the weekly study plan.

5. The study schedule does not have to be perfect in order to work for you. Don't spend more time making the study plan than you do using it. Some of us-we know who we are-would rather organize than study. Don't let the process of making a study schedule be your excuse not to study.

6. What Dear Abby would tell you about study schedules:

• Don't invite your entire family to come and stay at your house for the weekend before an exam. If they have already been invited, go somewhere else to study.
• Reschedule that major decorating/landscaping project until after the semester is over.
• Remind your spouse (parent, boyfriend, annoying friend) that you are paying tuition for this class and that if you don't want to pay the same amount to repeat the course next semester he/she needs to deal with some things without your help until classes are over.
• Call in favors from friends for errands and babysitting whenever possible.

7. Study without distractions (noise and people). Take frequent but SHORT study breaks (use a timer). Switch study methods every 15 or 20 minutes.